RYEDALE
Ryedale is
situated between the City of
It is
a diverse region of stunning scenery, traditional market towns and picture
postcard villages.
Ryedale’ s
landscape spans from typically English patchwork farmland in the Vale of
This
region really does have it all.
There
are numerous excellent attractions to visit in Ryedale,
explore the fascinating castles and abbeys to discover Ryedale’s
rich heritage (please click on the
Historic Houses link on the main page,) to enjoy
the splendour of its stately homes and country houses.
In
contrast Ryedale’s modest background can be
discovered in one of the several museums or taking a ride on
There’s plenty for children in Ryedale too, or more
importantly keep them occupied! Walking, cycling and horse riding is in
plentiful supply in Ryedale’s Forest Parks.
Many
of Ryedale’s attractions offer children’s information
packs and many have adventure playgrounds.
Ryedale is
also cater’s well for disabled and visually impaired
as many attractions are easily accessible and cater for the disabled.
HUTTON LE
HOLE
Hutton Le-Hole is another of
But for those not wanting to relax by the brook, the
There are 13 historic buildings showing the lives of ordinary people from the
earliest times to the present day.
Many of the buildings have been rescued and restored here
at the museum.
It’s very much a ‘hands-on’ museum, and visitors get the
opportunity to learn some of the traditions of the past.
A Tranquil Village, Check Out
The
The
Culinary Delites Are Provided By A Local Café Or
Public House/Bed & Breakfast.
HUTTON-LE-HOLE
HELMSLEY
Just a few miles north, nestling on the edge of the
Complete with four former coaching inns & a dazzling
half timbered rectory.
Helmsley hasn't always been such a
peaceful backwater & at the height of its prosperity as a weaving centre in
the seventeenth century, the loom operators were famous for their “thirsts,
their songs and their leather breeches."
Historic accounts of the local fair suggest an event which
was fraught with fist-fights and drunkenness.
Today visitors can expect an all together more peaceful reception now that Helmsley is a favourite haunt of walkers rather than
drinkers.
Indeed many walkers gather at the market cross to begin
The Helmsley skyline is dominated by its castle
ruins, which date back to around the year 1200. Like so many Royalist
strongholds, it was blown up by the Parliamentarians in the Civil War to
prevent it from being used again.
The town, with its beautiful riverside walks, traditional tea rooms and genteel
country pubs, has certainly lost nothing of its timeless appeal which draws
people from all over the world, but perhaps its most famous asset is Duncombe Park, (please click on the Historic Houses link on the main page,)
A fine Baroque mansion which has been the Duncombe's
family seat for nearly three centuries.
A hospital and a girls' school until it was bought in 1985
by Lord Feversham.
Who restored it to its former glory and opened it to the
public in 1990.
Helmsley is also
a thriving bustling village centred around a Victorian
cobbled market square.
The shops
& attractions are plentiful.
Helmsley Boasts
One Of The Few Original Moorcroft Outlets Along With A Superb Array Of Old
& New Shops.
Just down the road is Rivelaux
Abbey.
Helmsley Approx
13 miles From
RIVELAUX ABBEY
THIRSK
Little wonder that such ancient
folklore and glorious scenery inspires so many who live and work in this
beautiful region of
Of all those who appreciate its glories, few became more
famous than James Herriott, whose stamping ground
included the most inaccessible corners of North Yorkshire.
So when a heritage centre was established in his memory,
it seemed fitting that it should be situated in the more accessible location of
his home town Thirsk.
Once was the private house & surgery of Alf Wight,
whose stories about his work in
the Hambleton were turned into a highly successful
film & a long running television series.
23 Kirkgate is now a "one
point four million pound" tribute to his eventful and colourful career
which draws visitors from all over the world.
His son Jim Wight shares his father's love of Thirsk and readily pays tribute to the town which, he says,
has "a friendly atmosphere, attractive market place and wonderful
situation".
The cobbled market place, for example, which throngs with coachloads of visitors throughout the summer months, dates
back to early medieval times and has been the centre of commercial activity
ever since.
The ancient market cross, though long broken, stood there until it was replaced
by the clock tower, built in 1896 to commemorate the marriage of the then Duke
of York (who came to the throne as George V) to the future Queen Mary.
Two rows of covered butchers' stalls, known as The
Shambles, also used to exist in the square.
Today the only reminder of the tradition of open-air
butchery is a bull ring, marked on the cobbles near the bus stand, where
medieval laws decreed that bulls were baited by dogs before being slaughtered.
Thankfully this custom had died out by the eighteenth century.
Behind the market place there used to be long narrow yards crammed with
cottages, stables, workshops, warehouses and stores, housing a community of
craftspeople and tradefolk.
A few of these yards still survive as a picturesque
reminder of bygone days.
Some of Thirsk's less obvious
claims to fame are connected to
It was also the home of the murderer Thomas Busby, whose
ghost was thought to haunt the Busby Stoop Inn at the crossroads where he was
gibbeted for his crimes.
For more than 20 years no-one would sit in the chair that
now hangs in a local museum kitchen for fear of the dreadful fate said to await
anyone who braves Busby's curse.
Thirsk is mentioned in the Doomsday book
as Tresche.
THIRSK
BUSBY’S CHAIR & STOOP INN
The Black Sheep
Brewery
Do not miss this
opportunity to visit the visitors centre & sample the local ale & taste
the local fair.
BLACK
SHEEP BREWERY CENTRE